If This Isn't Love
by Mattitude
Summary: Matt never thought he could love again, until he met Emma. Just when things seem to be perfect, it all starts falling apart. Can he overcome his past to create the future he deserves? Features Matt/OC, Jeff/Beth & Shannon Moore. FINISHED 5.19.09!
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: **The idea for this came after seeing the pictures from Germany of Matt bleeding profusely from the head (yeah, thanks for that by the way Matthew!) I have played with time lines and time zones a bit and taken a few creative liberties.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Matt Hardy, we'd all be in trouble. Emma Keating = mine all mine.

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**If This Isn't Love - Chapter 1**

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Her cellphone ringing on the nightstand roused Emma Keating out of a sound sleep, the first she'd been able to have in a few days, and she grumbled at the offending noise as she checked the caller ID. "Jeff" it read .. not the Hardy she had been expecting a call from. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she put the phone to her ear, Lucas tilting his head quizically at her from the other pillow.

"Hello?"

"Ok, don't kill me," Jeff's voice pleaded from the other end. Emma sat up, clicking on the small lamp on the nightstand.

"God, I can't TELL you how much I love conversations that start like that," she said, rubbing sleep out of her hazel eyes. "What is it Jeff?"

"I'm serious Em, promise you won't be mad."

"Considering you woke me up at 4 in the morning, your chances are already slim for that. What?"

"I kind of um .. here, talk to Beth." The younger Hardy thrust the phone to his wife, who gave him a dirty look.

"No way, you did it, you tell her," Beth said, but one pleading look from Jeff's green eyes put an end to that argument.

"Hey Em," Beth started. "So ok um. So the guys had a street fight match, as you know, and well .. Jeff gave Matt a chair shot and um .. he kind of .. missed. And Matt got opened hard way above the eye, " Beth explained in wrestling terms. "He's being stitched up now." She heard Emma curse under her breath and winced as she handed the phone back to Jeff. "She wants to talk to you."

"Damnit," Jeff muttered. "She is going to kill me for this." He took the phone again as Beth nodded at his previous statement. He could hear Emma pacing back and forth across the floor and knew he would have hell to pay from both his brother & his brother's girlfriend when this was all said and done.

"How many?" Emma demanded, twisting a lock of her long, dark brown hair between her thumb and forefinger, a nervous habit she'd had since childhood.

"He's fine Emma, I swear, it looks a lot worse than it is and you know people always bleed more from the face .."

"Jeff. How many?" she asked again, sitting on the bed. Lucas nudged her hand until she began to pet him absentmindedly.

"Thirteen," Jeff mumbled.

"JESUS JEFF! What did you tear his freaking eye off?"

"I'm sorry Em! We got into it and the lighting in the arenas over here sucks and you know I feel like shit .." Jeff sighed and immediatley Emma felt bad about getting upset at him. She knew Jeff would never intentionally hurt Matt and was probably beating himself up worse than anything at that moment. But it made her stomach turn to think of Matt hurt even the slightest bit, and thirteen stitches seemed like so many!

Emma had seen her fair share of injuries in the three years her and Matt had been together, and compared to the near death experience with Matt's appendix and staph infection, stitches were a walk in the park. Even so, every injury Matt endured sent her heart to her feet and brought tears to her eyes, and made her want him to walk away immediatley .. but Emma knew how much the business meant to him, how much his fans meant to him, and she knew he would be wrestling until his body gave out. It was one of the things she loved the most about him.

"Em? You there?" Jeff asked tentatively after her long silence.

"Yeah," Emma sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Look, just take care of him Jeff, and watch where you swing that chair from now on, because so help me God if he doesn't come home perfectly in tact .."

"I know, I know. Beth's already threatening to make me sleep alone for this." Emma snickered, knowing _that_ was a completely empty threat. For a couple that had been together for nearly 10 years, Jeff and Beth still couldn't keep their hands off each other. "Anyway Matt wanted me to let you know he's ok and he loves you and he'll call you as soon as he's put back together .." Beth thumped Jeff on the back of the head for his wording choice on the last sentence. "Er, I mean um, when he's, ya know .. good as new!"

Emma shook her head, feeling suddenly exhausted and emotional. "Alright, thanks. You guys be safe." She hung up with Jeff and set her phone on the nightstand, sighing deeply, knowing she wouldn't be getting any sleep that night.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: **Once again I took liberties with time frames and time zones, as well as the layout for Matt's house (although I'm nearly positive his master bedroom is right off the kitchen, which to me is bizzare-o-Lucas.)

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Matt Hardy, we'd all be in trouble. Emma Keating = mine all mine!

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**If This Isn't Love - Chapter 2**

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Matt could feel the tension releasing from his shoulders as soon as he stepped onto the front porch and slipped his key into the lock. From the other side he could hear Lucas whimpering excitedly and he shushed him as he opened the door, scooping him into his arms.

"Hey Lucas," he cooed, allowing the dog to lick his face and giving him kisses on the head. He set the small white terrior down before he dropped his bag of gear in the foyer and wheeled his suitcase off the porch, shutting the door quietly behind him. It was amazing how his body immediately responded to being home, all the worries and stress of the road and the shows just melted away and even the aching muscles and sore bruised bones didn't seem so bad. He set his black UNC ballcap on the kitchen island and emptied out his pockets, placing his wallet, keys, and cellphone all down before removing his shoes and walking across the hallway to his bedroom door.

Matt could see his girlfriend curled up under the sheets, her hair fanned out across the pillow, her cellphone still clutched in her hand, waiting for his call. He wasn't supposed to be home until the following afternoon, but he had caught a red-eye at the last minute to surprise her, Jeff's treat. She had sounded so worried and stressed when she'd been told about his accident, it broke Matt's heart to hear it and not be able to comfort and reassure her. Needless to say, Jeff felt like the worlds biggest dick too and was more than happy to try to make ammends to both of them.

Lucas, sensing what the nights events would entail, made himself comfy on the couch as Matt entered the bedroom, closing the door quietly. He slipped out of his clothes and lifted the sheets, resting a knee on the bed before sliding in behind Emma and wrapping his arms around her tiny waist and dropping a kiss on her neck. She sighed happily and rolled over to face him, still mostly asleep, before she opened her eyes and realized what was going on, her face lighting up with happiness.

"You're home!" she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling her to him for a long kiss. When they finally broke apart she rested her forehead against his. "What are you doing home?"

"Caught an earlier flight," Matt explained, grinning. His voice, tinged with that Carolina accent, still managed to give her goosebumps. Emma reached up and stroked his cheek with her fingertips as he held her close, tracing his jawline, his nose, his lips. Even in the darkness she could see the bruising over his right eye.

"Does it hurt?" she asked with concern.

"Nah .. it was actually pretty cool. Got a great fan reaction," Matt chuckled. Emma shook her head, every part of Matthew Moore Hardy lived and breathed for his fans, and she couldn't help but love him for it. She had never seen someone give all of themselves day in and day out just to bring happiness to others .. even it was at their own physical expense.

She arched up and softly placed a kiss over the stitches, choking back the emotion that stuck in her throat at the thought of the man she loved more than anything being hurt. Matt sighed and pulled her body even closer to his, so that every inch of their skin was touching.

"Woman, if you're gonna kiss me after two weeks, at least make it somewhere I can kiss back," he teased, grinning as he pressed his lips to hers again.

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Reviews = Love and cookies! Hope you enjoyed & keep reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note: **yada yada, time frame liberties, but hey we're in the correct time zone now! :) Also, if Shannon Moore walked into my house singing with McDonald's, I'd be the happiest woman alive. Just sayin'.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Matt Hardy, we'd all be in trouble. If I owned Shannon Moore, I'd put him on my mantle and pinch his cheeks randomly. *shrugs*

Emma Keating = mine all mine!

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**If This Isn't Love - Chapter 3**

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The sound of the front door closing loudly and Lucas' gleeful barking woke them up after not nearly enough hours of sleep, and Matt groaned as one of his best friends, Shannon Moore, entered the house, singing at the top of his lungs.

"Told you not to give him a key," Emma teased, planting a kiss on her boyfriends cheek as she rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Matt shook his head bemusedly and grabbed the pair of basketball shorts he had discarded the night before, slipping them on as he opened the bedroom door and stepped into the kitchen.

Shannon leaned against the counter, chewing on an egg mcmuffin. He pointed to the McDonald's bag on the island.

"Breakfast bitch!" He declared, grinning. Matt moved as if he were going to throw the bag at Shannon, then grinned and gave him a hug. "Good to have you back for a few .. niiiice eye!" Shannon congratulated.

"Yeah, thanks," Matt chuckled, opening the door to let Lucas out before pulling a sandwich out of the bag and unwrapping it. "And thanks for letting my girl and I sleep in my first morning back."

Shannon shrugged. "Hey man, it's what I do. 'Sides, I'm a married man now, so if I ain't getting it, ain't nobody gettin' it." Matt shook his head, biting into his sandwich, as he heard the shower start from the master bathroom.

"And now I get to miss showering with her too. You're the best man, really." He swallowed another bite of sandwich. "This is a good sandwich though."

"See? I'm awesome," Shannon grinned through his last bite. He wiped his hands on his black track pants before clapping them together. "So, what are we doing today?" Matt nearly choked on his last bite of breakfast.

"Are you kidding me? I have one day at home before I have to get on a plane for Rhode Island, and you expect me to spend it with you?" Shannon pretended to be hurt at the comment as Matt threw the McDonald's bag in the trash and opened the door to let Lucas in again. "Shouldn't you be spending time with Julie anyway, she has to go tomorrow too."

"Please, I've spent every waking moment of the past two weeks with that woman .."

"Welcome to being married," Matt pointed out.

"Like you'd know," Shannon muttered back instinctively, before realizing what he'd said. He knew that was a sore subject with Matt.

Matt and Emma were perfect for each other, and everyone knew it. They inspired each other, supported each other, motivated each other, teased each other, and loved each other fiercely. They had been together for longer than most marriages in the business lasted, had moved seemlessly into living together, and for all intents and purposes, acted like a married couple. Whenever she could, Emma would travel with Matt, her job as a graphic designer allowing her to work from wherever she could bring her laptop, and when she wasn't with Matt, it showed in his attitude and hers. And yet, they still weren't married. She had never said anything about it, never even mentioned it, but Matt knew it had to bother her. She knew his history with Amy, how he had been ready to spend the rest of his life with her and give her every bit of him and more, and she had destroyed him. It had been a long time since then, and he and Amy and even Adam were on good terms now, but the thought that something like that could happen again, could happen to him and Emma, scared the shit out of Matt Hardy.

"I'm sorry man," Shannon apologized after a few moments silence.

"It's cool," Matt said, waving it off, but Shannon could tell it had gotten to him. He sighed and adjusted his backwards baseball cap that covered his latest outrageous hairstyle.

"Alright, well. I guess I'll be going then .." He started walking towards the front door before Matt stopped him.

"Hey man, seriously, no big deal. Look I'll call you later and we'll hang out tonight ok? You can listen to Emma drill into Jeff about my eye." Shannon grinned at his best friend, revealing that 10 year old boy that always idolized him.

"Wouldn't miss it. Later," he called, heading out the door. Matt waited a few seconds and then bolted for the bedroom, hoping he could catch Emma before she was finished with her shower.

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Reviews = Love and cookies! Hope you enjoyed & keep reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: **So this chapter doesn't have a whole lot going on and is fairly short, but I promise there is a method to my madness! Stick with me folks :P

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Matt Hardy, we'd all be in trouble. Emma Keating = mine all mine.

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**If This Isn't Love - Chapter 4**

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Matt had kept his promise, as always, and the evening had been spent eating steaks the guys had took turns grilling, drinking beer, and laughing at Jeff's squirming while Emma jokingly chewed him a new one for injuring his brother. Over all it had been the perfect day at home, and both Matt and Emma wished it could have lasted longer. Luckily Matt only had the pay-per-view in Rhode Island and a RAW and Smackdown taping in CT and NYC the next week, and then an unheard of five days in a row off to come back home and really settle in.

Emma was just starting to drift off to sleep, comforted by the feel of Matt's warm chest against her bare back, when she felt his breath blowing into her ear. It was a little game he played, whenever she'd start to fall asleep first he'd blow in her ear and giggle like a little boy until she rolled over to talk to him .. and it usually ended with him begging her to sing him to sleep as if he were a little boy again. She had a gorgeous singing voice, but it was reserved strictly for church, drunken karaoke, and Matthew Hardy.

"I was wondering when that was coming," she said, grinning as she rolled over onto her back. Matt propped himself up on an elbow and began tracing lazy circles onto her exposed arm. There were a few minutes of silence before Matt spoke quietly.

"You're happy, right Em?"

Emma's hazel eyes immediately searched for Matt's in the darkness as she turned completley over to face him. "Whoa. Where did that come from?" She could see him shrug as he tried to find the words to express himself.

"I know this isn't the typical situation, or the typical lifestyle. I can't always be here and we can't always be together, and it's stressful .."

"Look," Emma's voice was forceful as she interrupted him. "I knew what I was getting into three years ago when I gave you my heart. And not one day has gone by in that time that you haven't treated my heart like it was the most precious gift you've ever recieved."

"It is," Matt stated.

"Well then WHY on earth would I give that up for anything?" Emma asked. Matt didn't really have an answer for that, so he shrugged again. Emma continued to stare at him.

"Because I'm an idiot?" he tried, looking sheepish.

"Yeah well, lucky for you, you happen to be an incredibly adorable idiot," Emma teased, pressing a kiss on Matt's soft lips.

"Lucky for me," he responded against her kiss, his worries already fading away. They made love again and a while later, Emma once again found herself trying to fall asleep before she once again got an earful of Matt Hardy breath, literally.

"Really, again?" she laughed, turning over once more. Matt grinned at her sleepily.

"You didn't sing to me last night," he pointed out, and she groaned. "C'mon Em, please? It's been forever." He sounded like a petulant child, and Emma couldn't help but smile as well.

"Oh fine you big baby. But tomorrow I'm sleeping in while you pack and get Lucas ready for the flight."

"Deal," Matt agreed, even though they both knew that would not be happening. He snuggled into his pillows and draped an arm over Emma's waist. She thought for a moment and came up with the perfect song, one that had been stuck in her head the entire time Matt had been gone. Her quiet voice enveloped the moonlight room as Matt closed his eyes.

"Always another show, wondering where I am, lost without you. And being apart ain't easy on this love affair, two strangers learn to fall in love again. I get the joy of rediscovering you, ooh just stand by me, I'm forever yours .. faithfully."

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	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: **Look, two chapters in one day! *dances* Also, the Backlash Match was probably the most painful thing for me to watch ever, and I was at the Smackdown Stretcher match live. SO GLAD THE HARDY VS. HARDY FEUD IS OVER.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Matt Hardy, we'd all be in trouble. Pretty sure neither Jeff Hardy nor Beth Britt has crotch crickets, fyi ;) Emma Keating = mine all mine.

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**If This Isn't Love - Chapter 5**

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Saturday had been a complete blur of airports, airplanes, hotels, fan encounters, and exhaustion, and like every day, Sunday came too early. Matt and Jeff headed to the arena to do a run through of their match while Emma took Lucas for a walk and headed back up to the room to do some work on her laptop. She and Matt always got adjoining rooms with Jeff and Beth when they traveled, and like usual, Beth was sprawled across the bed watching some overpriced pay-per-view movie while Emma tried to get her creative jusices flowing.

Lucas lifted his head as he heard voices coming down the hallway and a few moments later Matt and Jeff came into the room, looking surprisingly energized for it being before noon and after a run through.

"Hello laaaadies," Jeff grinned in his best-worst Val Venis impression. He flopped on the bed beside Beth before Matt swatted him.

"Off my bed man, I don't want your crotch crickets on there," he teased. Beth wrinkled her nose and eww'd as she jokingly scooted away from Jeff. Matt walked over to the desk Emma was in front of and leaned down to plant a kiss on her shoulder.

"Working hard?" he asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Something like that," Emma answered, smiling. "How'd it go?" Matt stood up and looked at Jeff.

"What?" Beth questioned, sitting up. Emma turned around in the chair to look at the brothers.

"What's up?" she asked. The men continued to look at each other, willing the other to go first.

"Seriously you two, what?" Beth prodded again, beginning to grow annoyed. Jeff sighed and spoke first.

"Creative has this idea for the match tonight. I'm gonna tie Matt to a table, duct tape his hands and feet together, and hit him from the ladder."

"I'm sorry, what?" Emma blinked a few times. "You're kidding, right?" She looked from Matt's face to Jeff's, and then back to Matt's. "You're not kidding." Matt shook his head. From the bed, Beth groaned and put the heel of her hand to her forehead. She had been around long enough to know that what creative wanted, creative got, especially when it came to pay-per-views, but she knew Emma was stubborn as a mule and would try to argue it anyway. And she knew Emma would be none-to-pleased with this idea.

"Hey Jeff, let's um .. go that way," Beth pushed him off the bed so quickly he nearly landed on his ass, and he gave her a look as she continued pushing him out the adjoining door and into their own room. The door closed with a click and Matt exhaled, not realizing he had been holding his breath in the first place.

"So .." he began, shoving his hands in his pockets. Emma continued to stare straight ahead, trying to absorb the information. "Let's have it." Emma looked up at him and took a deep breath.

" .. just be careful, ok?" Matt blinked a few times, his brow furrowed in confusion. That had not been the reaction he had expected, and judging from Jeff and Beth's quick exit, they had expected something different as well.

"Really? That's it?" Emma shrugged, turning back around in her chair to focus on her laptop again.

"You're a professional Matt, this is part of the job, I get it. You rehearsed it, you guys know what you're doing .." She trailed off as Matt spun her around by the shoulders to face him. He was crouched down, his brown eyes burning into hers.

"Ok, now tell me how you really feel Emma." Emma sighed, twirling her hair in her fingertips again, the telling sign of how she was feeling. When she spoke, it was soft and laced with worry.

"Look, I'm scared ok? I'm scared every time you step into that ring. But I love you and I trust you, and I just have to accept whatever it is you're going to do and hope that you come back to me the same way you left." Matt put a finger under Emma's chin and lifted her face to look at him.

"Thank you." He placed a soft kiss on her lips to help assuage her worry.

A few hours later and they were at the arena, Beth and Emma staring at a monitor in the backstage area as Matt and Jeff's match started. Neither woman said a word, just held each others hand and watched, both praying for a good, safe match for their men. The match was going over amazingly well, the crowd was on fire, and Matt bringing up their parents caused even the women to wince, even though they knew it had been scripted. It wasn't until Jeff climbed to the top of the ladder after Matt said "I Quit" that panic set in.

"Shit. Matt's hands," Beth pointed out, noticing his hand position was not correct for Jeff's landing.

"Oh no," Emma whispered, putting a hand to her mouth. She couldn't bare to watch, but she couldn't bare to look away. She knew what was coming as Jeff lept and landed on Matt. Matt's face gave nothing away as Jeff rolled away, but as soon as he sat back, Jeff's face said it all.

Something had gone wrong.

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Reviews = Love & Cookies! Hope you enjoyed & keep reading :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors Note: **This chapter just did NOT want to get written .. but I think I got it down. So yes, I'm aware that Matt is not out for 4-6 weeks, but the night of Backlash when we found out on thehardyshow forums that he had a broken hand, that was the general belief. So go with that, yes?

**P.S. Go check out the story banner on my profile! Oooh, Ahhhhh ;)**

Big huge hugs, thanks, and cookies to Brie Seven for the reviews!

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Matt Hardy, we'd all be in trouble. Emma Keating = mine all mine.

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**If This Isn't Love - Chapter 6**

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Emma paced across the small hotel room, twisting her hair back and forth and listening to Lucas snore from the bed. Beth's eyes followed her every step, watching from where she sat perched on one of the hotel chairs. Both women were waiting on pins and needles for the Hardy brothers return.

As soon as Jeff had hit the backstage area he confirmed Emma's worst fears."I heard something snap Em .. I'm so sorry," he'd said, his green eyes filled with emotion. She had gone numb at that moment, not knowing what to say, do, or feel. Matt had come back a few moments later clutching his wrist, his face contorted in pain. He'd tried to mask it for Emma's sake as the trainer took a look at it and confirmed he needed to be transfered to a hospital and get x-rays.

"You guys go back to the hotel," Jeff had ordered, which took Emma by surprise. Jeff was never one to tell anyone what to do. "I'll go with Matt and we'll be there soon."

"No," Emma had started to argue, but Matt silenced her with a look.

"Go Em. Take care of Lucas. We'll be back soon," Jeff had promised.

"I love you," she'd said to Matt, who only nodded as he and Jeff hopped into the ambulance with security. Beth had taken her hand and led her to the rental car, and everything else had been a blur.

The hours had ticked by painfully slowly as Emma went over the evenings events in her head time and time again. A bunch of guys from the company had come by the room to see if Matt was back yet, see if they had any updates, but each time they were sent away with the promise that they'd be updated as soon as possible. Shane had taken to calling Emma's phone every 15 minutes, and every time the phone rang Emma jumped with hopefulness only to look at the screen and sigh in disappointment.

_How could this have happened?_ It kept going through Emma's head over and over again. They had run through the match several times, never missing a beat, never a step .. it wasn't the same as in front of a live crowd though, Emma knew. The lights were different, the adrenaline was pumping, the crowd was cheering, flashes going off .. it was lucky that Matt wasn't injured worse. The thought that he could have been injured worse nearly brought her to her knees.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even hear the card slide into the door, but sure enough it opened and in walked Jeff and Matt, both looking completely exhausted, still in their ring attire. Emma's eyes immediately went to Matt's right forearm, where a cast covered his skin from knuckles to just below his elbow. She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to get her emotions in check, as Jeff sighed.

"Hey," Matt said, his voice dangerously calm, a sure sign that he had quite recently been majorly upset.

"I suppose saying 'don't kill me' again would be asking too much?" Jeff asked, trying to lighten the mood. Emma couldn't even pretend to smile.

"It's not your fault Jeff," she said quietly, staring at the cast on Matt's hand.

"No Jeff, it's not," Matt repeated, his words crisp. "It's my own damn fault for fucking up the positioning, and guess what? Now I get to be out for almost two months, so there goes my heel push! But you know, it's not like I haven't worked half my life for the damn thing!" Matt threw the small duffel bag he had been holding in his left hand against the wall, causing everyone else in the room to jump at his outburst.

"Hey man," Jeff started, taking a step towards him. Matt held up both his hands.

"Just .. don't, okay? It's fine." Matt turned around and walked into the bathroom, closing the door with a loud thud. A few seconds later the sound of water could be heard running from the bathtub.

Jeff exhaled loudly, rocking back on his heels with his hands in his pockets. "Well, that went better than in the hospital," he said. Beth shook her head and walked over to stand with him. "He broke his wrist in three different places," Jeff reported to the women. "Doctor told him he'd be out for 4-6 weeks more than likely .. he was pissed to say the least. He's got a meeting with Vince at the arena tomorrow to see what they're gonna do." He ran his hand through his multi-colored hair, sighing again.

"You guys go get some sleep," Emma said, seeing how exhausted Jeff was as well. This night had been hard on him too.

"You sure?" Beth asked, and Emma nodded.

"Nothing we haven't handled before, right?" she said, smiling sadly. Jeff and Beth returned her smile.

"I'll update Shane so she can stop blowing up your phone," Beth said, grabbing her purse from the bed as Jeff opened the door joining the two rooms.

"Thanks," Emma said, moving to pick up the contents of the bag that had spilled out when Matt threw it.

"If you need us we're a room away," Jeff said, and Emma nodded as he closed the door behind him. Emma listened to be sure that the water was still running in the bathroom. When she was sure that it was, she sat back against the bed, surrounded by Matt's street clothes and random wrestling items, and cried.

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Reviews = Love & Cookies! Hope you enjoyed & keep reading :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors Note: **So, as I said earlier I was at the RAW taping the night after Backlash, and Mr. Hardy was NOT looking happy with the world. Also, if you watch the ReelWrestling video with him at the airport after Backlash, he looks even more pissed at life. Let's pretend this is why.

And just in case you're wondering, yes I broke myself with the image of Matt in a towel and then trying to shimmy one-handed into basketball shorts. Mmm-hmm!

**P.S. Go check out the story banner on my profile! Oooh, Ahhhhh ;)**

Again, Big huge hugs, thanks, and cookies to Brie Seven for the reviews!

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Matt Hardy, we'd all be in trouble. Emma Keating = mine all mine.

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**If This Isn't Love - Chapter 7**

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Matt stepped out of the bathroom, holding the towel that was wrapped around his waist with his good hand. He had a hell of a time getting undressed one-handed, and had to take a shower with his right hand sticking out of the curtain, which did nothing to improve his mood. He was feeling angry at himself and sorry for himself, not a good combination.

Emma was not in the room, which pissed him off even further. He figured from the lack of Lucas that she had taken him out one last time for the night, and she had been nice enough to clean up the mess his earlier outburst had made and laid out a pair of basketball shorts for him to put on. Even so, in Matt's surly mood he couldn't help but think she should have been in the room the instant he had gotten out of the shower to check on him. He would have done the same for her.

As if on cue the door opened and Lucas came into the room, Emma trailing behind and holding the end of the leash. She unhooked his harness and he bounded onto the bed, wagging his entire little body at the sight of Matt. Matt patted him on the head and muttered.

"What's that?" Emma asked.

"I said 'at least someone's happy to see me'," Matt repeated. He dropped his towel and after a few moments of wriggling, managed to get into the basketball shorts before laying across his side of the bed and pretending to find something fascinating about the ceiling.

Emma stood watching, unsure of what to say. She knew with the mood Matt was in the smallest thing could make him go off again, which was the last thing she wanted. They had only a few fights in the time they had been together, enough to count on one hand, and Emma wanted to keep it that way. She knew from experience the angrier he got, the angrier she got, and it could go for days before they cooled off.

She sighed, tossing Lucas' leash onto the dresser and pulling off the hoodie she had worn to take the dog out. Deciding to ignore Matt's previous, somewhat petulant comment, she grabbed the tv remote.

"Want to watch a movie?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at Matt hopefully.

"Nope." He didn't even look at her.

"Want to see what Jeff and Beth are up to?"

"Nope."

"Want to call Shane?"

"Nope." The same tone every time, and it was making Emma's blood boil.

"Want to pull the stick out of your ass Matthew?" she asked pointedly, sitting down at the desk chair and opening her laptop.

"What?"

"Oh, you heard me," Emma replied, turning in her chair to look at her boyfriend. His brown eyes were dark with anger, and she was sure her hazel ones matched. They were both taking out their fears and frustrations on each other, and neither one particularly cared at that moment.

"Nice Emma, thanks. Just what I needed to hear," Matt said, beginning to stand up. Emma stood up as well.

"Yes Matt, it's exactly what you need to hear," Emma said, her voice rising. "Look, I'm sorry you messed up your hand, but that is NOT my fault and you do NOT need to take it out on me! I sat here all night worried about you for you to come back and act like a child? Or worse, act like somehow the entire world owes you something because a shitty stunt that shouldn't have been done in the first place went bad? Well excuse me for not getting the memo Mr. Hardy, but you know what? Shit happens. Deal with it."

Matt balled his good hand into a fist, trying to calm himself down. It didn't work, and the next thing he knew he was saying what had been on his mind and in his heart for months.

"You know what? THIS is exactly why we haven't taken the next step! You wanna know why we aren't married like Jeff and Beth or Shannon and Julie? Because I need someone who is going to support me! I don't want to come back from working my ass off in the ring to someone who is going to make me feel even shittier than I did getting worked over!" Emma saw red.

"Not supportive?!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Who is there EVERY night taking care of your house and your dog when you're not? Me! Who is the first one to drop everything and join you out on the road? Oh, that's me again! Who waits up every night when you're gone until you call, worried that you're hurt, afraid something terrible has happened? THAT WOULD BE ME MATTHEW. I have given everything to you over the past three years, hell I've put my life on hold for you so you could live your dream, and never ONCE have I asked you to do anything in return, and I've certainly never mentioned anything about us getting married, although clearly you've been against it for a while now. So you know what Matt? If I'm so un-supportive, maybe I should just leave now!"

"Maybe you should!" Matt fired back. They stared at each other for a few seconds, both willing the other to say something first. When neither did, Emma quickly threw her laptop into her backpack, grabbed her suitcase and sweatshirt, and stormed out the door.

"Motherfucker!" Matt swore, punching the wall with his good hand, not caring if he broke that one too. Lucas whimpered and took cover under the table as the adjoining room door opened and Jeff came through, looking concerned.

"The hell is going on?" he questioned, having heard the yelling and thud. Matt sat at the edge of the bed, putting his head into his hands.

"She's gone Jeff," Matt said matter-of-factly, trying to choke back tears.

"What?" Jeff asked again.

"Emma's gone. I flipped out and she left. Damnit!" he cried in frustration. Jeff took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair as he looked into his own room. Beth was already putting on her shoes in preparation to go after Emma.

"Look, she couldn't have gone far, Beth will go get her, talk her down, then you guys can work this out ok?" Jeff said calmly, trying to sooth his older brother.

"Yeah," Matt shook his head, sniffling as the built up tears from the entire nights events started falling. "I hope you're right."

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	8. Chapter 8

**Authors Note: **Totally on a roll, wrote 2 chapters at work today! Also I have no idea how long Shannon & Julie & Shane & Jamie have been together, so let's just go with what the story says, yes? Yes. :D Also, Shane can babysit me ANYTIME!

**P.S. Go check out the story banner on my profile! Oooh, Ahhhhh ;)**

Big huge hugs, thanks, and cookies to LuLu606 for the review, and to everyone who has subscribed! Loooove!

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Matt Hardy, we'd all be in trouble. Emma Keating = mine all mine.

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**If This Isn't Love - Chapter 8  
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Beth searched the hotel frantically for nearly fifteen minutes before she found Emma on a bench outside the front doors, twisting her hair feverently and staring into nothingness.

"There you are, jeez! I was starting to worry that Hornswoggle kidnapped you or something," Beth teased, planting herself down next to Emma on the bench. Emma snickered, still sniffling and wiping stray tears as they fell. "You know he feels like shit Em," she started, before Emma stopped her.

"I don't care," she said, although everything about her at that moment showed otherwise. Beth sighed, between Matt and Emma she didn't know who the more stubborn one was, but she was sure these arguments were taking years off of her life.

There were a few minutes of silence before Beth spoke again. "Remember the night all the guys got food poisoning?" she asked, trying a different tactic. Emma groaned.

"Ugh, how could I forget? Between me, you, Julie, and Jamie we were up to our ears in vomit." She smiled at the memory; Jeff, Shannon, Shane, and Matt all in various stages of sickness around Matt's living room, the culprit sushi the girls had refused to eat mocking them from the kitchen. Emma had sat up with Matt all night, giving him water, rinsing out puke buckets, worrying like crazy. The next day when his skin had lost some of it's green tint and he could hold down toast, Matt had looked at her in wonder and said, "Boy, you must really love me."

"I must," she had smiled, and despite having been together for almost a year at that point it was the first time either of them had mentioned the L-word. Two days later he'd asked her to move in. The memory brought fresh tears to her eyes.

"He doesn't want to be with me," Emma choked out, her tears falling freely now.

"Of course he does," Beth started, rubbing her back comfortingly, but Emma shook her head sadly.

"No Beth, not forever. He told me. He said .. he said he wouldn't marry me, ever." She barely whispered the last sentence, as if she couldn't bear to say the words. Beth vowed when all this was over and settled she would wring Matt's neck .. those damn Hardy's could be such idiots sometimes!

"I'm sure he didn't mean .."

"He wouldn't have said it if he didn't mean it," Emma stated matter-of-factly. She had known Matt long enough to know that he always meant what he said, and Beth knew it too. Again, Beth vowed to wring his neck .. maybe this time enough to kill him.

The cab Emma had called pulled up to the front of the hotel, and Beth looked at her in surprise.

"You're leaving?"

"I can't stay here Beth. I can't look at him, and feel how I feel and know that he doesn't feel the same way. I just. I can't." She stood up, gathering her things.

"Where are you going?" Beth asked with concern.

"Home. Well, my parent's anyway .. I guess 'til I get my own place?" She shrugged sadly, opening the cab door. Beth put a hand on her arm, willing her to stay.

"Em, I just think .."

"Just watch out for him, okay Beth? Just make sure he's okay." She got into the cab and closed the door before another round of tears could start, leaving Beth standing alone on the sidewalk.

"She WHAT?!?" Matt demanded, his voice rising to a dangerous level. Jeff gave him a warning glare for raising his voice at Beth, and Matt took a deep breath in attempts to calm himself.

"She left," Beth re-stated, and the confirmation knocked the breath out of Matt. He collapsed into the hotel chair, burying his face in his hands.

" I can't believe she left," he whispered.

"Can you blame her?" Beth asked indignantly, causing both brothers to look at her in surprise. "Matt, you told her you would never marry her."

"You did WHAT?" This time it was Jeff whose voice rose.

"I didn't mean .. I didn't .. I was pissed, and she .. argh!" Matt growled in frustration, slamming his good hand down onto the desk and wincing as pain shot up it. At this rate he'd have two broken hands by morning.

"I gotta go after her," Matt declared, standing up.

"Are you crazy? We have a show tomorrow. You have a meeting with Vince!" Jeff said.

"I don't care."

"You'll be suspended!"

"I. Don't. Care." Matt moved to grab a shirt, and Jeff moved to stop him.

"Don't make me break your other hand," Jeff threatened as his temper flared. Beth quickly stepped between the brothers.

"Whoa, whoa, time out .. to your separate corners boys." She ran a hand through her brown hair before turning to Matt. "Look, it's nearly five in the morning, no one is going anywhere. Let's all just get some sleep, and after your meeting with Vince tomorrow you can go home and work all this out. You're gonna be out for a while anyway, right? Plenty of time to work it out."

It took a few minutes but Matt finally calmed down and agreed, and just to be sure he didn't change his mind and try to sneak out, Jeff called Shane and had him come down to stay in the room for the night and "Matt sit."

"So kicking your ass for this," Shane grumbled, still half asleep as he tossed a pillow and blanket down in front of the door and proceeded to pass out again within a few minutes. Matt watched the sun rise from the hotel balcony, officially ending the worst night of his life.

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Reviews = Love & Cookies! Hope you enjoyed & keep reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**Authors Note: **So the reaction Emma has to seeing Matt at RAW with a broken hand? Pretty much my reaction when I saw him that night. You know it's gotta kill when he hits people with that cast!

Also, I really want to glomp Shannon for his tell-off to Matt in this chapter. Loooove!

**P.S. Go check out the story banner on my profile! Oooh, Ahhhhh ;)**

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Matt Hardy, we'd all be in trouble. I still want to put Shannon Moore on my mantel and squish his cheeks. Emma Keating/Keating family = mine all mine.

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**If This Isn't Love - Chapter 9  
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Emma turned her cellphone on in Raleigh just long enough to send a text to Beth letting her know she was okay, before turning it off again. She couldn't deal with the multitude of texts and voice mails that were sure to be waiting, especially if none of those were from the person she most wanted to talk to. Her dad picked her up at the airport, and if he knew at all what was going on he didn't let on. Emma had called her Mom tearfully before the plane had taken off that morning, asking them to pick her up and telling them she'd be staying there for awhile, and like the wonderful parents they were, they asked no questions. Pulling into the driveway of her parents house Emma thought back to just one month ago, when she and Matt had been there to celebrate her Dad's birthday. How could everything have changed so quickly?

"She's home," Beth reported, and Jeff exhaled in a mixture of relief and anxiety. No one had gotten much sleep the night before, and now Matt was in a meeting in Vince's makeshift office backstage with Pat Patterson and Michael Hayes, the same geniuses who came up with the ending that broke Matt's hand in the first place! He sighed as he glanced at the clock in the locker room .. a few more hours and Matt would be back in North Carolina as well, hopefully fixing things.

Emma's body finally called it quits around six pm, and she took a much needed long nap in her old bedroom, still adorned the way it had been in high school, stuffed animals and all. Matt had teased her about them as they squished in the bed together on their first visit to her parents, and had been downright merciless about the Justin Timberlake poster on the wall. But when they started to leave, Matt had grabbed the small stuffed bear that sat against her pillow, and had taken it with him. When she questioned him about it later, he simply shrugged and stuck it into his gear bag, where it had traveled since from city to city with him.

The clock read 8:57 pm when Emma opened her eyes again, and she couldn't help but wonder if Matt was home yet. She almost turned her phone back on, but the fear that Matt had not tried to contact her stopped her. Instead she rolled out of bed and opened her door, padding down the hallway toward the kitchen for some water. She stopped short in the living room when her eyes caught the television .. her Dad and little brother Tyler were watching RAW, as per every Monday night, and an entrance theme she could have recognized in her sleep was playing.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked in disbelief as Matt Hardy walked down the entrance ramp, holding his cast-covered right arm close to his body and looking completely worn out.

"Hey, what happened to Matt's arm?" Tyler questioned as Emma grabbed her cellphone and turned it on. Ignoring all the alerts that popped up as well as Tyler's question, she hit #5 on her speed dial and waited.

Beth tossed Jeff the ringing cellphone as he watched Matt's match from the monitor backstage, and he glanced at the screen before quickly answering.

"Hey Em," he greeted, then pulled the phone away from his ear quickly as she began yelling into it.

"HE'S STILL WRESTLING?!?!"

Jeff cringed and shot Beth a dirty look. She grinned at him and mouthed "payback", referring to him making Beth tell Emma about the eye-incident. Women were so cruel. He turned his attention back to Emma, who was still ranting on the phone.

"Well," he began, choosing his words carefully. "He can't give up this big heel push Em, he just switched brands and Vince .."

"Vince McMahon can bite my ass!" Emma declared, earning a stern look from her father and a snicker from Tyler.

"And as much as I'm sure he'd love that," Jeff continued, sighing, "Bottom line is that Matt can't give up this shot."

"Can't?" Emma asked, "Or won't?" She didn't need to hear the answer. It had become crystal clear over the past 24 hours what Matt Hardy's priorities were and always would be, and it sure as hell wasn't her.

"Look," Jeff sighed again, "He's coming home tomorrow and he'll be there 'til Monday morning. He got out of the MSG show and pulled his signing this week, but it's not like he can sign anyway .." Jeff started rambling, unsure of what to say, and Beth grabbed the phone from him as Matt's match was wrapping up on the monitor.

"Emma Keating, you listen to me," she started. "I don't care what Matt said last night, he loves you and he wants to fix this. Now he's coming home tomorrow and your happy ass better be at the house, the one you two SHARE, to talk to him, or so help me I will come down there myself and I promise you if I do it will not be pretty!" Beth threatened. Emma wanted to believe her, but how could she? Beth didn't hear the things Matt had said, didn't see the look in his eyes when he'd said them.

"I gotta go," Emma said as she noticed Matt reaching the top of the entrance ramp after his match, and she quickly hung up and turned off her phone.

"Emma wait, Matt .." Beth started, but it was too late. She was already gone.

Shannon picked Matt up at the airport the next afternoon, and neither of them said a word about Emma until Shannon pulled into the driveway and Matt noticed Emma's car wasn't there.

"I really fucked up," Matt muttered, shaking his head.

"Ya know, I wasn't gonna say nothin', but since you brought it up, let's go there. Yeah Matt, you fucked up." Matt looked at Shannon in surprise, in all the years they'd known each other Shannon had always taken Matt's side in everything. "Look, I'm not saying Emma's blameless in all this, but damn man, you've been stringing that girl along for years," Shannon continued. Half of him was afraid Matt was going to deck him for saying all this, the other half didn't really care. They'd all been thinking it, and it was about time someone said it.

"I know Amy fucked you over, but dude .. Emma's not Amy. That girl has never done anything but support you and encourage you from day one, and instead of marrying her like any other guy in that company woulda done in a heartbeat, hell like any of us would have done .. you basically tell her she ain't good enough!"

Matt listened as Shannon's words rang in his ears, and he knew that Shannon was right. He had spent the last three years waiting for Emma to screw him over the way Amy had, and when she didn't he had screwed their relationship himself.

"Remember when you said you thought Amy's injuries were fate's way of telling her to wake up and get her head on straight?" Shannon asked, and Matt nodded solemly. Shannon pointed to the scab over Matt's eye, and then to his cast. "Wake up Matt."

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Reviews = Love & Cookies! Hope you enjoyed & keep reading!


	10. Chapter 10

**Authors Note: **Tee-hee!! **:D**

Big hugs, thanks, and cookies to sirigirl157, Brie Seven, LuLu606, and MrsRKOCena for the reviews!

**P.S. Go check out the story banner on my profile! Oooh, Ahhhhh ;)**

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Matt Hardy, we'd all be in trouble. Emma Keating/Keating family = mine all mine.

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**If This Isn't Love - Chapter 10**

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Emma had been staring at the computer screen for hours, and so far the logo she had been attempting to design looked exactly as it had the moment she'd opened it. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't focus .. her mind kept running through the same things over and over.

_If he loved you, if he wanted to be with you, he would have been here to fix this._

Sighing in frustration Emma closed the laptop and leaned back in her desk chair, rubbing her tired eyes. The clock on her nightstand read 6:08 pm, but to Emma it felt like midnight. After a restless night her entire body had been tense all day waiting for the doorbell to ring, and with every hour that ticked by and it didn't, that little voice in her head grew worse.

_See? He doesn't care .. weren't you listening to what he said?_

It wasn't even the marriage thing that bothered her. They could have gone forever without getting married like Jeff and Beth and she'd been perfectly content just being with him. It was like Jeff said, he may never marry Beth but he would also never divorce her. It was the way Matt had said it .. like he was only with her until something better came along. Someone more "supportive", someone that could handle everything, because obviously he didn't think she could. And that had killed Emma. She always thought she handled it well .. she never complained when he had to miss special events, she rearranged clients and work projects to be with him on the road, took care of things back at the house when she couldn't be, nursed every bump and bruise like it was on her own body .. treated Matt better than she treated herself. She'd always thought he would do the same if the situation was reversed.

_Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong._

There was a knock on her bedroom door and Emma jumped, startled out of her thoughts. Her stomach immediately filled with butterflies .. could it be? Did he?

Tyler poked his head in, and the voice in her head snickered. "Mom and Dad want us to go out for dinner," he said. "So uh .. you might want to get dressed," he said, surveying the lounge pants and tank top Emma had been in since the day before. Emma groaned, the last thing she wanted to do was go to dinner, but her parents had been so wonderful letting her stay no questions asked, she couldn't say no. Begrudgingly she grabbed a pair of jeans and a nice shirt and made her way into her bathroom to get ready.

A half hour later Emma gave her brother a confused look as her Dad pulled onto the property of the Woodlake Country Club and headed towards the Oates House restaurant.

"We're eating here?" She asked. Most of the time they ate at Miller's or Valenti's .. the last time she'd even been to Woodlake was for her high school prom.

"Well it's not often we get both of our kids home at the same time, we wanted to have a nice dinner," her mom replied as her dad pulled into the empty parking lot. "And look, we have the place to ourselves!"

"Great," Emma remarked as the car stopped. She opened the door and stepped out, taking a deep breath and trying to reign in her surliness. Her parents were just trying to have a nice night, it wasn't there fault that her life was falling apart and she didn't want to ruin it for them.

"Hey Tyler, is that John over there?" her dad asked, pointing to a man in the distance. Emma could barely see him, never mind see who it was.

"Yeah, it is," Tyler responded.

"Well I'll be. You girls go get our table, I'm gonna go say hello. C'mon Ty," her dad said, wrapping an arm around Tyler's shoulder as the two of them rushed away. Emma looked at her mom in confusion, but her mom just shrugged.

"Men," she reasoned, laughing as she took Emma's arm and headed inside. They entered the lobby of the restaurant and her mom looked around.

"I'm gonna use the ladies room," her mom said quickly, heading towards the door. Emma furrowed her brow in confusion, wondering how she just got left behind at a dinner she didn't even want to be at, when the hostess walked up to her.

"Miss Keating?" she asked expectantly.

"Uh, yes?" Emma answered, feeling very underdressed as she took in the hostess' little black dress.

"This way," the hostess directed.

"But my family .." Emma started, but the hostess interrupted her.

"This way please," she said, opening the doors to the dining room. Emma took a few steps forward .. and froze.

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	11. Chapter 11

**Authors Note: **Ok .. please don't kill me for this.

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR THE REVIEWS/SUBSCRIPTIONS! YOU'RE WONDERFUL!!**  
**

**P.S. Go check out the story banner on my profile! Oooh, Ahhhhh ;)**

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Matt Hardy, we'd all be in trouble. Emma Keating/Keating family = mine all mine.

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**If This Isn't Love - Chapter 11**

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The room was completely empty except for twinkling lights that danced across the walls and enhanced the dark blues of the evening sky outside the large windows that covered the room ..

.. and Matthew Hardy standing in the middle of the room, his hair pulled back, wearing a midnight black suit.

Which, as far as Emma was concerned, was completely unfair.

She felt like the hippopotamus in the story she and Matt always read to Yuk's little man when they babysat him.

_And she just didn't know. Should she stay? Should she go?_

She could practically hear Matt's voice as he read it, his voice low and sweet, smiling at the little boy in Emma's arms as they sat on the couch together, shoulder to shoulder, feeling like life couldn't possibly get any better than that moment.

"But yes, the hippopotamus," Emma whispered, taking a step.

Matt exhaled with a whoosh, feeling like he'd been holding his breath for days. He probably had. His heart raced in his chest, butterflies did the tango in his stomach, and he was a bit worried that he'd either throw up or pass out before Emma got to him. He swallowed loudly as Emma reached him, stopping a few steps away.

"Well I feel under-dressed," Emma confessed, biting her bottom lip, and Matt quickly shook his head.

"You look beautiful," he said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Matt," she started, sighing. Her eyes glistened with tears already. God, how could he have hurt her like this. "What are we doing?" He took a few steps towards her, "You didn't have to do all this," Emma said, looking around.

"I know. I wanted to," Matt replied, finding his voice.

"Look, Emma," he started shakily, closing the space between them. It was now or never.

"I love you." Emma looked at him, her face full of emotion. "You know I do. I'm crazy about you. When you're not around, I feel like I'm walking around missing half of myself. And I know I haven't been fair to you. I've kind of been a dick." Emma snickered. "Ok, I've really been a dick." He smiled wryly, running his left hand through his hair. "The thing is .." He took a deep breath. "I do love you. More than I ever thought I'd love anyone again. And that scares the shit out of me. Because I gave my heart to someone once, and they destroyed it."

"I'm not .." Emma started, but Matt interrupted her.

"I know. I was so afraid that you would break my heart .. I broke yours instead. And I'm so sorry for that Emma. I never in a million years wanted to hurt you. As soon as you left I wanted to take it all back." His voice broke with emotion, and Emma could feel the tears running down her cheeks as he spoke. "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me Emma, and none of this means anything if you're not here to share it with me. You are the most important thing in my life and I'm sorry I forgot that for a few minutes. But I promise you, I swear to you, that it will never happen again."

Tears fell down Matt's cheeks and Emma gasped as he dropped to one knee in front of her, pulling a box out of his pocket and using his casted right hand to open it.

"Emma Grace Keating .. will you marry me?"

Emma covered her mouth with her shaking hands, tears falling down her face even faster now, as she shook her head.

"I .. I can't."

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Really .. please don't kill me?

Reviews = Love & Cookies, Hope you enjoyed, and keep reading!


	12. Chapter 12

**Authors Note: **Gotcha ;)

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR THE REVIEWS/SUBSCRIPTIONS/FAVORITES! YOU'RE WONDERFUL!!**  
**

**P.S. Go check out the story banner on my profile! Oooh, Ahhhhh ;) It's been updated!  
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**Disclaimer: **If I owned Matt Hardy, we'd all be in trouble. Shannon Moore's giggle fits make me giggle as well! Emma Keating = mine all mine.

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**If This Isn't Love - Chapter 12**

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Shannon Moore howled with laughter, clutching his sides.

"Stooooop, it huuuurttts," he complained between the laughter.

"Knock it off," Matt said, growing annoyed.

"You .. and she .. and .. heeee-heeeee!" Once again, Shannon went hysterical, falling onto his side on the couch as tears streamed down his face.

"It's not that funny," Matt pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Aww come on Matt, you gotta admit .. it's pretty funny." Matt looked up at the female next to him, and cracked a smile.

"Ok .. maybe it's a little funny." He smiled completely now, pulling her down onto his lap and snuggling his face into her neck.

"Oh, oh man. Whew." Shannon took a deep breath, trying to dissolve the giggles that threatened to rise again.

It had been nearly 24 hours since Matt had proposed to Emma, and she said the two words that made him sure he was going to vomit and pass out, maybe all at once.

_"I .. I can't."_

His heart had crashed to his feet, the breath had left his body, and he wanted nothing more than for someone to put a gun to his head.

_"I can't believe it!"_

Okaaaay, scratch that.

He had nearly had a heart attack, and after Emma said yes and he slid the ring onto her finger, lifting her off the ground to kiss her so deeply they were both gasping for air by the end of it, he had told her he thought her "I can't" had meant she couldn't marry him.

Which she had found hysterical, and apparently, so did his so-called best friend, who hadn't stopped laughing for oh, the past twenty minutes.

"Oh God, wait 'til Jeff and Beth hear about this. Oh man! WHY didn't anyone video tape it?" he asked.

"Actually, my parents .." Emma started, before Matt clamped a hand over her mouth. Of all the people who should see the video Emma's dad shot on the sly of the proposal, Shannon Moore was not one of them.

Thankfully the front door opened before Shannon could get Emma to finish the sentence, and Jeff and Beth walked through it.

"OH MY GOD LET ME SEE!" Beth squealed, rushing over to Emma. Emma stood up and closed the distance, showing off the gorgeous diamond on her finger before Beth enveloped her into a hug, the two of them squealing like cheerleaders.

"Nice to see you too Beth!" Matt greeted, waving his arms from the chair. Jeff laughed, walking over to congratulate his brother.

"Congrats Man!" He grinned, hugging his brother. "I feel like we should be squealing."

"Uh, no, that's okay," Matt laughed as the two of them watched the girls, who finally broke apart.

"Hey Matt!" Beth greeted finally, moving to give him a hug. "Congratulations!" Matt laughed as Jeff and Beth took a seat on the couch and Emma placed herself on Matt's lap again, her legs dangling over the side of the chair. "So, tell!"

"Tell?" Emma blinked innocently, biting back a smile.

"Come on, tell us how he proposed!" Beth practically begged.

"Here we go," Matt said, shaking his head as Shannon began laughing again. It was going to be a loooong night.

Matt climbed into bed, sliding closer to Emma as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She snuggled against him, sighing happily as he buried his face into her neck. One week ago Matt had surprised her by coming home early, and in that week her entire life had changed completely. She had laughed, cried, had her heart broken and now put back together .. but being in Matt's arms, she knew it had all been worth it. No matter what life dealt them, what came their way, the laughter, the tears, the heartbreaks, and the triumphs .. if she could go through all of them with Matt Hardy at her side, they'd always be worth it.

Emma rolled over to face Matt and giggled as she leaned over and blew into his ear. He raised his eyebrow.

"Something I can help you with?" He asked.

"Aww come on .. I always do it for you!" Emma pouted, sticking out her lower lip. Matt sighed.

"Fine. But if you tell Shannon about this, you're sleeping in the guest room tomorrow night," Matt threatened. Emma clapped her hands together and snuggled down into the blankets, watching as Matt's deep brown eyes locked on hers and he began singing.

"Highway run, into the midnight sun, wheels go 'round and 'round, you're on my mind. Restless hearts sleep alone tonight, sending all my love along the wire. They say that the road ain't no place to start a family, but right down the line it's been you and me." Matt moved closer to Emma, his face now inches from hers. "I know that lovin' me ain't always what it's supposed to be. Oh girl, just stand by me .. I'm forever yours, faithfully."

Emma sighed against the sweet kiss Matt placed on her lips as he finished. So, so worth it.

**THE END**

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